Hunted
by LeiCross
Summary: A simple meeting in the woods one night changes a certain vampire's life forever. Sei/Sub Fum/Kam
1. Night

**Ch. 1.**  
Night

The children always wondered about the night. What secrets and whispers it held. What mysterious and ominous creatures lurked in its shadows. What music and laughter, if any, was hidden in its heart. They wondered why, at every mention of the night, their parents would pale and turn away, and the elders would scold them incessantly. Why the children never saw the night. Why everyone was so afraid. Some longed to escape from their huts into the night, to prove everyone wrong and say, "Look! There's nothing here!" But at the same time, they were also afraid, the night driving a spear of fear into their young hearts that they couldn't explain. What was it, they often whispered amongst themselves, that terrified even the bravest warriors and the wisest priests? What did everyone instinctively know to fear? Was it really that bad? Bad enough to secure triple locks on doors and windows? Bad enough to gather every day before the full moon and pray in the Temple? And even bad enough to ban the children from remaining outside past five o'clock? They whispered and wondered, but none dared to ask the elders. None dared to disobey.

Until one night.

It was the festival of the New Year, the one day when the children and grown-ups stayed outside past five. There was dancing and laughter and music, and everyone's fears were put aside and traded for celebration. The children danced around the maypole and played tagging games as the adults drank and conversed. Everyone was having a splendid time.

Of course, there were rules. No one was allowed to leave the village square, except to return to their huts, and only if given permission by the chief elder. All the children were forced to stay together, and two priests were sent to watch them. And the festival had to close no later than seven o'clock. But apart from that, there was much laughter and merry goings-on. No fear.

Seven-year-old Toshi Sahime played with her friend Maki by the rose bushes, weaving elaborate wreaths of flowers and placing them on her head in a fit of giggles. They sat apart from the rest of the children, but still close enough for the priests to observe them. A shadow fell across Sahime and she looked up to see Kaoru, her older brother, and his friends Onamoto Atoki and Onamoto Shigame, the twins.

"Hey flower face," said Kaoru, laughing. Sahime frowned cutely.

"What do you want, Onii-chan? Me and Maki-chan are busy."

"Maki-chan and I are busy, you mean," The Onamoto twins simultaneously corrected, both pairs of gray eyes sparkling mischievously. Kaoru laughed again. Sahime stuck out her tongue. Swiftly, Kaoru crouched by her side and lowered his voice.

"We're gonna go exploring. Wanna tag along . . . or stay here and be chicken?"

Sahime gasped. They were going to break the rules! They could be severely punished for that! But part of her wanted to prove she was in fact, brave enough to tag along. She didn't want her brother to think her a coward. She wanted to do something daring to show his big smug face how brave she could be.

"Sure thing," she replied. Maki gasped.

"Sahime-chan! Don't do it! You'll be caught!" she whispered urgently, catching hold of her friend's arm protectively.

"Only if you blab on us," said Kaoru, his amber eyes narrowing as he regarded the young girl. Maki sighed, knowing that persistence was futile. She released Sahime's arm and looked her in the eyes.

"Be careful, Sahime-chan."

"No worries!"

Kaoru and Sahime stood, then walked with the twins to the edge of the square. They waited there, blending in with the rest of the children, before scampering off into the forest while everyone's back was turned. Maki sadly watched them go, her little aquamarine eyes focused on the fading figures disappearing into the trees. She felt a little tug in her heart that something bad was going to happen, a tug that her mother called the Gift of Premonition. She walked over to the maypole game, mildly confused and concerned.

"Please be careful, Sahime-chan," she whispered to the gathering wind as she caught hold of a ribbon and started to dance.

------------------------------

Sahime's breath caught in her lungs as she raced to keep up with her brother. He had the unfair advantage of being older and taller, and it was a struggle for her to maintain his pace. Soon she and the twins fell a little behind, winded. They were deep in the forest now, surrounded by towering trees and odd little shrubberies that were fresh to Sahime's eyes. She gazed with wonder at the long thorny blackberries and the tall arrogant pines, her breath floating out in front of her like pale, ghostly fingertips. Ahead of her Kaoru said something, and she started forward again to hear what he whispered.

"What is it, Onii-mffm!"

She was muffled by Shigame's hand over her mouth. She looked up at him, quizzically.

"Someone up ahead," he whispered, his gray eyes flashing. She nodded, showing understanding, and he removed his hand. Together with Atoki, they silently walked until they were in line with Kaoru, who stood unmoving, staring at something in the thick of the trees. Sahime squinted in the fast approaching darkness, but she couldn't see anything. True, her brother was one of the best scouts in the village, and he could see things from rather far off, things she didn't even know to look for. She tugged on Kaoru's arm urgently. She was beginning to fell the strange sensation of fear, like a lead ball was in the pit of her stomach. Something was there, but she couldn't see it, and by the puzzled look on the twin's faces, neither could they. She tugged harder on her brother's arm, but he ignored her, his amber eyes wide, staring at something no one else could see. In one swift movement, he shoved her behind him.

"Stay back," he called to the wind. His voice was unnaturally loud. Sahime could tell he was trying his best to be brave, but there was more than a hint of fear in his tone. Shigame stiffened next to her, and Sahime realized that he too could see something. She peeked her head around Kaoru's arm and watched, wide eyed, as a faint figure made its way toward them.

It was a person. A tall person, in comparison to the children. As it drew closer, Sahime gasped, for another figure was semi-concealed behind the first.

"Who are you?" Kaoru called, his voice wavering. The person stopped about thirty feet away from them. Sahime heard it say something that sent chills down her spine.

"Humans."

The person, a male, started forward again after a brief pause. Kaoru stiffened, if that was possible, and whispered, "I'll distract him. You guys go back to the village."

"No!" whispered Sahime loudly.

"That's right. We're in this together." said Atoki, nodding with Shigame.

"But I don't want us to be."

The mysterious person gradually grew clearer and clearer as he came toward them. He looked about the same age as Toru, Maki's oldest brother, who was fifteen. The stranger wore a long dark cloak, black like the night, that was secured by a golden chain that snaked across his chest. He wore an odd looking silver necklace, something that looked like an arrow shot between a pair of wings, that rested on the white cravat tied around his neck. His hair was black, longer than most of the village boys', reaching well past his ears and down the side of his cheek. And his eyes. They were the strangest shade Sahime had ever seen, a sort of deep purple violet, so different from her own fawn ones. He took no notice of her, but gazed intently at Kaoru, who was frozen with fear.

"Young."

Behind her brother, Sahime trembled as the stranger spoke again. Who was he? And why did he look at Kaoru like that? It was an expression of satisfaction, and something . . . something that Sahime could only describe as . . . hunger.

"There's more than enough," said a second voice, the other stranger. He stepped apart from the first, and Sahime realized that he wore the exact same outfit as the first. Were they related? He too had long black hair, but his was straighter and less unruly. His eyes were a deep green, the color of fresh grass, and they too watched the group with that strange look of hunger.

"More than enough of what?" asked Kaoru, standing his ground. The first boy started him down, a small satisfied smile playing across his lips. He raised his right hand in front of him, and Sahime bit her tongue to keep her from screaming. He had long, pointed, claw-like fingernails protruding from his fingers. Whatever he was, this person was _not _human. A constricted squeak escaped from Kaoru, his confidence finally breaking.

"More than enough game."

What happened next was a mull of confusion. A sharp hiss sliced through the ethereal silence as Kaoru screamed and fell, and suddenly Shigame and Atoki were pulling Sahime's arms and yelling at her to run, run fast. She whipped around when she heard Kaoru cry out, then moan. Something was rushing around, pushing past her, a blur of black. Shigame jerked hard on her right arm, and she stumbled forward, the world discombobulated and topsy-turvy. She had no idea what was happening. Everything was a muddled mess. She couldn't see. Darkness pressed in on all sides, mixing with the pained cries of her brother a few feet away. And then, he stopped. Silence. Dread welled up inside of the girl.

"ONII-CHAN! ONII-CHAN!" she screamed. She felt Shigame's grip leave her arm, and for a minute she was falling, the ground slipping out from under her like snow, when she was caught up in a crushing embrace from behind, held still against a protecting chest. She wiggled around, but whoever was holding her had arms of iron, making escape utterly impossible. She screamed again, but was met with absolute silence. Where was everyone? Had they deserted her? Or perhaps worse . . .

Hot breath on her neck made her snap back to reality with a jerk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the face of the green-eyed boy lean in close to her, effectively trapping her in his embrace. There was something wrong with her eyesight, for the boy appeared to have yellow eyes, the color of the sun, and pupils like black slits. But that wasn't humanly possible.

Then again, whispered a voice in her head, are these people even human?

She screamed again as the person, the thing, opened his mouth to reveal sharp white fangs that inched closer to her tiny neck. She once again struggled, but to no avail. Her vision went completely white for a few seconds as she felt the fangs plunge into her skin, then reality slowly filtered back in, the pain sharp as a stinging nettle. She moaned and whimpered, but she felt the strength draining from her. Minutes passed, and the girl knew she would die. For one last time, she faintly struggled, then stilled as the light left her amber eyes forever.

------------------------------

The chief elder paled when he received the report. Four children were missing, and their parents were ballistic with mortification. How they had eluded the priests was unexplainable. The elders gathered the soldiers of the village and sent them out first thing in the morning to search for the children. They returned hours later with news that corpses had been found in the forest of four children: three male and one female. They were taken to the village infirmary and identified as Toshi Sahime, Toshi Kaoru, Onamoto Atoki, and Onamoto Shigame.

A funeral service was held for the children two hours before sundown. Their parents were still in a state of shock, and a certain girl with the Gift of Premonition never forgave herself for letting her friend go. There were no celebrations for quite a while, and the whole town became possessed with fear. Because everyone knew.

They knew of the night.


	2. Sakura

**Ch. 2.**

Sakura

The black forest was unnaturally silent after the girl's screams ceased. Not a tree whispered. Everything was holding its breath. Either that or in complete shock. But the forest didn't really matter to Kamui. What mattered was, for the first time in a long time, he wasn't hungry.

The boy's blood had been incredibly sweet and warm, not yet soured with impurity or frozen with hatred. Just warm and fresh, the perfect thing on a cold New Year's night. It was almost like a dream, to suddenly chance upon four disobedient children alone in the forest, unprotected, exposed, almost willing sacrifices. Didn't they listen to the wise elders, who knew of the dangers of the night? Apparently . . . thankfully . . . not.

He stood and wiped his mouth with a pale hand. He didn't want to abandon the others, two boys that Subaru had attacked. There was still quite a lot of fresh blood left in their rapidly cooling bodies, and it would be a shame to let it all go to waste. But by morning, soldiers would come, and the corpses would be too much of a hassle to lug around anyway. He sighed and turned to his twin, his yellowish-golden eyes glinting in the darkness. Subaru was still holding the human child, his arms wrapped almost protectively around her thin frame. He lapped at the wounds on her neck, savoring the first meal he'd had in weeks. He didn't look up as Kamui approached him.

"Quite finished yet, Subaru-kun?" asked the elder twin, folding his arms and leaning against a tree. Subaru opened his eyes, now golden as well, and stared down at the girl in his lap. He gave a little moan, then released her, and she slumped forward onto the ground. Kamui watched his brother stand slowly; his eyes flitting back to their original green.

"I . . . I killed a child," he whispered faintly, his face an expression of pure horror.

"You were hungry." Kamui relied nonchalantly, gazing up at the trees. Subaru backed away from the dead girl before him, the soles of his shoes slipping over roots and pebbles as he scrambled to put the farthest distance between him and the child. It was rather annoying, how Subaru acted when he killed a human. It was the kindness in him, the foolishness. He never wanted anyone to be in pain, and he always felt deep remorse for anything that was dead, human and animal alike. But Subaru was a vampire. He had to eat. He had to inflict pain upon someone else. He had to. If he didn't accept that he had to do these things then . . . then he would die.

"N-no . . . I can't . . . I mean, I just . . ." Subaru stuttered, his hands weaving circular patterns in the air. "A . . . a child!" He turned to Kamui, his emerald eyes pleading, begging for consolation. Kamui sighed and uncrossed his arms as he stood up straight. Subaru relaxed as his twin enveloped him in a comforting hug, wrapping his thin arms tightly around him. Suddenly Subaru stiffened as he caught sight of the scene behind him.

"More . . . children. Was that me?"

"Subaru-kun, it doesn't matter. They were extras. They . . . needed taking care of."

"Ex . . . tras?" Subaru pulled away, his pale cheeks stained with crystalline tears. As if in a mournful trance, he knelt by the human twins, gazing at their lifeless forms.

"Amazing, isn't it, what hunger does to the mind?"

Subaru squeaked and jumped, whipping his head around. Kamui hissed, his eyes darting across the trees, looking for the owner of the voice. He raised his hand, once again accompanied by long, sharp claws, and stood motionless. Subaru stood hesitantly, his claws raised as well, back-to-back with his twin. They both waited there, unmoving, listening for the softest footstep or the tiniest whisper of a breath. Somewhere, a heart was thumping softly, but it was unusually difficult to pinpoint the noise. Kamui's eyes narrowed, annoyed. _Stupid!_ He had been too careless, his guard dangerously down. And now he was not only putting himself, but Subaru as well in danger. Then Subaru squeaked again, a funny habit of his, and Kamui whirled around to see a figure emerging from the trees directly in front of them. A tall figure. Imposing, almost. And very much alive.

He was shrouded in a dark grey cloak, the edges of it fluttering eerily across the forest floor. Under his hood, tufts of fine black hair fell lazily over his eyes. A smirk was plastered all over the newcomer's face, sort of like an I-know-something-you-don't-know look. The way he smiled sent chills down the vampires' spine, an unexplainable feeling of fear for which there was no good reason.

"Tut, tut" said the man, clicking his tongue and gazing down at the corpses on the ground. "How wasteful. Biting off more than we can chew, are we?"

Kamui acted. He sprang forward suddenly, his face livid. The man was an uncomfortable disturbance that should have been executed on sight. And Subaru wasn't doing anything, so it was up to him. He flew at the man with inhuman speed, swiping at his face with his outstretched claws. But he dodged. Impossible! The man was only human! Kamui slowed, confused. No mere human could escape the attack of a vampire like that, so quick, so graceful. But perhaps the man wasn't human. Kamui hadn't been able to sense a different aura about him. But maybe that was the point. Maybe he wasn't supposed to know. Before he could reach a decision, long arms wrapped around him from behind, and a hand swept in front of his brow, causing it all to stop mattering as he lapsed into sleep, the world around him dissolving into tranquil black nothingness.

* * *

Subaru stood frozen as he watched his brother slump in the stranger's arms. His brother, his twin, Kamui, always so strong, always protecting, silenced by the mysterious newcomer. A fantastic fear ignited in the vampire's body, spreading quickly throughout his whole self, burning the comfort and hope away. He realized that the man must surely be a vampire hunter. His grandmother had told him stories, but never before had he actually come face-to-face with one. And now he was alone. He watched as the man carefully set Kamui on the ground apart from the dead humans. His twin was motionless, his whole body still, eyes closed. For a brief moment, Subaru recalled the girl in his lap, equally silent when he finally killed her. The similarity was overwhelming. Subaru felt himself shaking. He instinctively took a step back, but the stranger straightened up and advanced, a sly smirk weaved into his face. He watched, amused, as Subaru pressed against a tree, making further retreat impossible. His brilliant green eyes were wide with fear as he stared, transfixed, at the oncoming hunter.

"Who . . ." Subaru's question was a breath, a whisper freed from his throat, constricted with fear. The man was directly in front of him now, perhaps a foot away.

"My name is Seishirou. And yours?"

"S-Subaru."

"Subaru?" How lovely. And . . ."

"Kamui."

"Hmm, how interesting. Both are very pretty names. It seems I've become rather fortunate to come across you two tonight." The man smiled slyly and watched Subaru with his amber eyes.

Subaru himself had reached a decision. There was still the slightest space between them, and if he were to suddenly slip sideways, escape could possibly be an option. Hunters were fast, but vampires were faster.

He averted his eyes from the man before him and stared at the ground, waiting for the opportune moment. Then, suddenly, he jerked to the right, slipping past the man. It was a rushed decision. Seishirou caught hold of Subaru's cloak and pulled him backward into an embrace.

"Now, now" he mused, barely above a whisper. "It would be rude of you to run out on me like that. What makes you so afraid?" Subaru, defeated, stood still in the man's hold, a tear creeping down his pale cheek. He felt a warm hand brush it away comfortingly.

"Why do you look . . . so sad?"

"I . . . I don't want to end up like Kamui."

"End up? What do you . . ." Seishirou paused, thinking of what the boy could possibly mean. Then it clicked. He chuckled.

"Dear Subaru-san, did you think that I killed your brother?" Subaru only whimpered in response, unable to see the man's face behind him.

"How absurd. It's rude to kill on sight. I only just placed a simple spell on him, nothing much. To make him fall asleep, if I were to put it in simplest terms. It's just an instinct. Because if I needed to ask him something, it wouldn't do much good if he were dead now, would it?" The man chuckled again. "No, Kamui-san is still very alive, but unconscious. This gives me more time to get to know you, Subaru-san."

Subaru gazed blankly in front of him at the surrounding woods. So Kamui was _not_ dead. That was a huge relief. He felt himself grow less afraid of the man and more grateful toward him. His grandmother had warned the twins to never be seen by others while hunting. Most people, humans and hunters alike, didn't take very well to a vampire. Getting killed on sight was a very real danger, and vampires constantly had to operate in total secrecy. But this man, who must surely be a hunter, had spared Kamui, and talked very cordially with Subaru. He seemed kind. So Subaru felt himself place his whole trust in the man.

Distracted by reality, he snapped out of his musings to find that the scenery had completely changed. The tall pines and sturdy hemlocks were gone, replaced by black, empty space. Everything was black. Completely. And then there was pink. Pink, falling from the black sky, drifting down to Subaru from an unknown source. He held out his gloved hands, palm up, to capture the floating pink particles. They landed in his hand, little bits of wonder, trusting the surface on which they lay. He recognized them as cherry blossoms: sakuras. His grandmother used to have a sakura tree in their front yard, under which she would often teach the twins certain techniques and tricks. It brought back so many memories. But why now? Why were they falling from the sky? A puzzled look slid across his face as felt Seishirou's arms unwrap themselves from his shoulders. He turned and saw behind the man an enormous sakura tree, in full bloom, the blossoms a beautiful pink. It was the only splash of color on the black canvas in which they were enveloped.

"Seishirou-san, where exactly are we?"

"Inside the illusion I've created."

"Illusion?"

"Yes. Quite solid, wouldn't you agree?"

"You can make illusions?" Never before had Subaru heard of a hunter that could create illusions. This man was powerful indeed.

"With the mind, yes. Rather a specialty of mine, if I do say so myself."

Subaru let the sakura petals slip through his gloved fingers. He looked at Seishirou intently. There was something, something about the man that made the boy want to stay. To be with him. Something that almost . . . attracted him. It wasn't his blood, which scent Subaru had been able to smell ever since he had seen the man. No, it was more like, something that went beyond just liking, just appreciating. Somehow, the man seemed special to Subaru. And though, just minutes ago, he had been completely terrified of Seishirou, now he felt comfort . . . almost safety. It was all rather confusing.

"Something troubling you, Subaru-san?" asked Seishirou, placing his hands on Subaru's small shoulders. Subaru looked up into the man's eyes, a beautiful amber color. They looked mildly concerned, gazing into his own emerald ones.

"Seishirou-san, why did you bring me here?"

"I thought you might like a little lapse from your reality." Subaru vaguely remembered the dead children.

"But," Seishirou ran a long finger down Subaru's cheek. "I have something else to show you as well."

He swiped his hand across the boy's eyes, and Subaru fell forward into his arms. Seishirou let the illusion fade, the black background blending into a dark grayish green as reality filtered back in. he swept his arm under Subaru's limp body and carried him across the clearing, bypassing Kamui without a glance. Someone would come for him later. But now, he wanted his prize to himself, away from any humans, dead or alive. As Seishirou reached the edge of the forest, he smiled dangerously to himself.

"Oh Subaru-san, if you only knew . . ."


	3. Separation

**A/N: Thank you to dra, laustic, and angel-hime96 for being the first reviewers! I'm sorry this took so long, and I'm planning on having the next chapter up soon. This chapter is Fuuma/Kamui, but the next chapter is Seishirou/Subaru to balance things out. :) Special thanks to my beta, , without whom this story would be nowhere. And happy belated New Year!**

**Ch 3.**

Separation

Cold. Wet. _Delicious._

The water swirled around his knees, teasing him gently, calling, _"Come on! Come on! Play with me!"_ He splashed forward merrily, shooting a spray of foam high into the air. The sand, warm and squishy, sifted and oozed under his toes as far above him a gray gull cried. It was a perfect sunny day, the sea enchanting him with her rhythmic flowing dances. He felt himself being drawn further and further from the shore. But he didn't resist. After all, part of the fun was the danger.

A piece of driftwood floated lazily by, and he grabbed it eagerly. It had an odd shape to it, much like a small bird or duck. _Duckwood!_ He giggled. It would be the perfect thing to show his mother. He turned away from the horizon and faced the small party onshore. As soon as he spotted the tall form of his mother, he waved the silly piece of wood in the air so she could see. She waved back, shouting something that was cut off by the roar of the ocean. He continued to wave as she started to sprint towards him, her discontinued cries more urgent than before, pointing to something behind him. _What Mother? What's wrong?_ He turned to face the ocean.

And suddenly he was underwater, the current tugging ferociously at his limbs. He struggled weakly, but wave after wave crashed down on him with an unquenched wrath. He could hear the constant roaring in his ears as he fought for the surface, for air. The sand slipped beneath his feet as he was forced downward again. He couldn't breathe. He tried to scream for help, but the water was too powerful, flooding his mouth with foam and salt. There wasn't anyone that could save him. He knew that he was lost, that he was going to die. Already he could hear a strange faraway voice calling to him, growing steadily louder until . . .

"Hey!"

"Gyaah!"

Kamui awoke with a jerk. He squinted in the unusually bright light at the fuzzy face that swam inches away from his own.

"S-Subaru? What . . ."

"Oh, Subaru? That's his name? He's really quite cute. But, then again, so are you."

Kamui blinked very rapidly and stared up at the intrusion into his personal bubble. The stranger smiled secretively down at Kamui from behind half-shades, watching him like a hawk. He had dark, straight hair, but looked older than Subaru and smelled . . . like a hunter.

Immediately Kamui tensed. "Who are you?" he growled, brandishing the long nails of his right hand in front of his face. The person – the hunter – smiled, not a bit taken aback by the lack of cordiality, though he stood and moved away from Kamui nonetheless.

"I'll have plenty of time to tell you about me later, however, now I should like to have my breakfast. You don't have to join me, seeing as you're probably still satisfied from last night, but you're invited anyway."

"Where's Subaru?"

"Everything will be explained in due time." With that, the hunter smiled and left the room.

Kamui huffed and looked about his surroundings. He was sitting on a large futon in the middle of a wood floor. Behind him was a large window, through which an excessive amount of sunlight was pouring in. There was very little furniture in the room – only a small desk and chair. Besides those things there was nothing. It was basically empty.

Kamui decided to do some deeper investigating. He would find out what this hunter was up to and, more importantly, why Subaru wasn't here. He could always tell where his twin was. It was sort of like a "gut feeling," a pull that told Kamui, "This is the exact location of your brother." It was never wrong. But now the pull was very faint, meaning Subaru was far away. Very far away. And Kamui didn't like that at all. Surely this hunter must know something about his brother, the way he acted. And what was that about being "quite cute?" There was something more. Kamui was certain. He would force the information out of the man if he had to. There was only one thing more important than Subaru . . .

He rose and left the room, finding himself in a long hallway. He heard whistling and turned to the right, silently treading down the hall. The hunter was in a kitchen, flipping something in a hot pan over the stove. He looked up and smiled as Kamui watched him from the doorway.

"You probably figured out that I'm a hunter, correct?" asked the man, scraping the substance onto a plate. Kamui said nothing. For some reason, he got the same uneasy feeling from this man as from the stranger in the woods last night.

"But I'm not the kind of hunter you think I am." There was that secretive smile again.

"Why don't you join me at the table? It seems you have a lot you want to discuss." The hunter carried his plate of food to a small table in a new room adjacent to the kitchen. Kamui sullenly followed him, angry that the man seemed to know exactly what he wanted. He stood in the doorway and watched as the man sat down and said a blessing over the food before picking up his chopsticks and eating it.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Fuuma. And you?"

"Where are we?" asked Kamui, avoiding the question.

"A spare apartment one of my close friends and part-time employer lent me. We'll be staying here for the time being. Feel free to make yourself at home." Another smile.

"Where is Subaru?"

"Ah, now that I don't know. He's not my responsibility." Fuuma continued to eat as Kamui glared fiercely at him.

"Why am I here?"

"You know, I don't feel like giving you any more information until you tell me your name." It was all Kamui could do not to strangle the man right then and there.

"It's Kamui."

"Well then, _Ohayo Gozaimasu_, Kamui-san. Now that I can address you properly, I'll answer you r questions. Excuse me while I clear my breakfast." The hunter rose from the table, carrying his now empty plate and dirty chopsticks. He placed them in the kitchen sink, then faced Kamui.

"Why don't we sit down in the living room? It'd be more comfortable than standing."

The hunter turned and walked out of the room. Kamui followed him into a small living room, equipped with two couches. There was a table between them, resting on a faded oriental rug. The one large window was shrouded in dark green drapes, and a circular ceiling light illuminated the room. In the far corner of the room was a short wood rocking chair, the kind a toddler would sit in. A small black notebook lay on the table next to a bowl of chocolate candies. Fuuma sat down on one of the couches while Kamui sat on the other.

"Anything to drink?" the man asked pleasantly.

"Answer my question."

"Which one?"

"What am I doing here?"

"You're helping me."

"With what?"

"My job. You see, I am a hunter, it's true, but what I hunt is not necessarily the same thing every time. I look for things that my employer needs for a shop she runs. A shop that sells all kinds of rare, odd and mysterious things. It's my job to acquire those things. I am always on the move, looking for one thing one day, and something completely different the next."

"And I'm helping you why?"

"What I'm looking for now is very rare indeed. If I hadn't found you, I might have been on this job for many more years."

"You want vampire blood, don't you." Kamui felt anger simmer in his gut. The hunter smiled.

"Not just any run-of-the-mill vampire blood, Kamui-san. Real blood. The kind you can trace back for generations and not find a hint of human at all. Pure blood. And for that I need you."

Kamui stood abruptly, knocking the bowl of candies to the ground, glass shattering everywhere. His eyes were yellow, his pupils black slits. His long claws were ready to attack, and he glared daggers at the hunter, daring him to try to take advantage of him. Fuuma stood slowly, his smile gone.

"Don't make this hard on yourself. I need barely anything at all."

"I won't be used!"

"I'm not going to assault you. I just need one small thing. Had I known you would be this difficult, I would have chosen your brother. He seemed nice enough."

That stopped Kamui in his tracks.

"You do know where he is!"

"No. I used to, but not anymore. They left."

"Who left?! Who took Subaru?!" Fuuma smiled, his eyes narrowing. He had found Kamui's weak point.

"Cooperate, and I might think about telling you what I know about your brother. Kill me, you might never see him again. The pull might disappear forever." Obviously the hunter was more insightful than he looked. Kamui knew that he couldn't leave without knowing the whereabouts of his twin. He already suspected that Fuuma was in contact with the stranger from last night. Could it have been he who took Subaru? Kamui wasn't sure. His memories of last night were fuzzy, and he couldn't recall exactly what had happened. It seemed as though he would have to "cooperate" with the man until he got what he wanted. Until both of them did.

"We don't have to do it now," said Fuuma, watching as Kamui re-evaluated the situation. "Whenever you're ready is fine. But the deadline is Thursday. That's three days." The hunter left the room.

That night, Kamui had the same dream, but it was switched. He was onshore and Subaru was in the ocean. A massive wave crept up behind his brother, who waved to him happily. He tried to warn him, but the ocean was too loud, drowning his frantic cries. And Subaru disappeared. He turned to his mother for help, but she ignored him, talking to a man in a straw hat. He screamed at her and yanked on her arms, but still she talked and laughed with the man. Kamui felt hatred for whoever it was in the hat and turned on him. He removed his shades and hat, tossing them to the side. Kamui stared up into cold amber eyes. He begged and pleaded for help, for someone to save Subaru. But the man just smiled at him, then turned and walked down the beach. His mother and sister ran after him, calling merrily a strange name that was silenced by the roar of the ocean. Kamui started to run toward the waves. He would save Subaru himself. But the further he ran, the farther the ocean seemed to be. He ran faster, but the ocean grew farther and farther away, until it disappeared entirely, and Kamui was left alone on a sandy shore, crying.

"_Somebody please save my brother!"_


End file.
